I'd recommend using the chance to fly Saha Air as fast as possible - I guess there are probably just a few others flying around africa, but I don't know how many of those are pax configs, and I really don't know how many of those I'd fly in...

... having said that, I'm just glad I used my chance on Air Zimbabwe in 1998, when they were still flying the 707 on regional and domestic routes - I got one between VFA and HRE, which took about an hour, but it certainly was something special... just a few months later they, unfortunately, took the two aircraft out of service...

My first memory of flying was in a 707. I was about 4 years old, on my second trans-Atlantic trip. I remember walking down the narrow aisle and peaking through the curtains dividing first class from economy. Then I remember a stern-looking steward shaking his finger at me to leave. Hey, I was just curious.

Man I'd join you if I could, that's for sure. I'm still trying to find a 737-100 (Aero Continente it looks like....but it's parked last time I heard ) and a 721 which I still have an OK chance of riding.

Airsicknessbag - no need to cry, and no need to be angry about your birthdate... after all, according to your profile, you've flown on Concorde: I've managed to catch the 707 and 727-, 737- and 747-100 while they were still regularly used - but I'll never get to fly on Concorde...

And, by the way: if you guys find a DC8 - drop me an eMail... I'll come with you!!!

707's are keeooowwll ! I flew Air Zim in 89 on a free ticket (non-rev - the lady in the Joburg office would give out ID00 to anybody and his dog just about !) - the whole trip was on B707s. The ticket was JNB-HRE-LGW-HRE-JNB, but the HRE-LGW flight was full so they put me on the HRE-FRA flight instead, upgraded to Executive Class (which was old LH Business Class, pretty good for an old banger). Front row too.

The poor old 707 was a Super-Q hushkit job, to be able to land in FRA/LGW, one engine blew a valve on take off (quite late in the roll, there was much screeching of brakes as we slammed to a halt on the runway) - taxied back to the terminal and waited a couple of hours while Men With Spanners tutted and frowned at it. They rewound the elastic and off we went. Great trip, all the better for being FREEEEE !

I flew GFY-Waterkloof in a Safair 707 too, during National Service (in 87 - God I'm old !) - they used it for troop transports (a MAJOR improvement over flying in a L100), although of course for sanctions reasons they only ever flew "civilians" ja whatEVer ! It was a very old and very noisy 707 (ZS-LSF), used to fly for SA way back when. That was a good flight too, always good to be leaving Namibia ! And in a 707, it was so much faster hehe.

Young and beautiful and thin and gorgeous AND BANNED ! Cya at airspaceonline.com, losers

Was a FA on 707 for nearly 6 years with Luxair
Loved the aircraft.We had a 177 all Y class configuration
Also flew the old A model 707s with South African Airways
Flew to Sydney/New York and Las Palmas on 707 as crew
Cheers
Tony

Tony(LXLGU) - was that with Luxavia/Trek ? I thought that was the only 707 operated by LG (enlighten me if otherwise...). I wonder if the 707's that Safair had came from LG - they were ex-SAA I know.

BTW, I alway wanted to take that Luxavia flight from JNB, it was the backpacker special, always seemed like fun. As I recall the routing was via NBO, but did it stop anywhere else, someone told me it stopped in ATH too...

Young and beautiful and thin and gorgeous AND BANNED ! Cya at airspaceonline.com, losers

LGS and LGT were usually dryleased to other carriers
Alia had two of them at one time
The flights were usually via NBO but southbound we often flew via
ATH and then flew nonstop to JNB.Occasionally we had to refuel in Harare.

It was a great fun flight.We had coaches in Luxembourg transfer paxs on to
Germany/Belgium and Netherlands free of charge

Just memories! In 1969 I took a BWIA 707 from JFK to AUA an then to BGI! We got to go into the cockpit, and the service was spendid A long flight, but with the "classic boeing cabin" {the large overhead lights) kept awake until arrival at BGI

At this point, only a few 707's are in operation. You can still try to get into a cargo flight (SkyMaster comes to mind), or talk to Mr. Travolta. Also, a few air forces still use the military or VIP versions. Try the Spanish, Chilean, Brazilian or Lebanese Air Force. The Brazilian KC-137, that used to be the presidential transport for long-haul flights was used at least as recently as last August to fly back the body of ambassador Sergio Vieira de Melo, killed by the explosion in Baghdad.

I remember an Airline called 'African International' from not so recent years ago, which was mainly doing ops in flying guest workers from Africa to arabian countries. What about JNB-based InterAir? They flew 707. Are they still alive?
I think you could be fortunate in fiding a pax 707 somewhere in africa...hell you could even fly a Caravelle there. No Risk, No Fun!

"I really don't know one plane from the other. To me they are just marginal costs with wings."Ã¯Â¿Â½ Alfred Kahn, 1977

Obviously this thread had some how twisted and now it is showing off my 707 glory ride, why don't post them in trip report forum, sure you get lot of attention for that! With no good answer, I won't ask again...I decide to try Saha Air early next year, this will solve my problem....Try to get on a Presidential flight or with John Travolta is not realstic, as sounds too easy. This forum offer nothing much but entertainment.

There's still a way to do it, but you're going to have to want to do it very badly. If you join the USAF Reserves and get a job as a refueling guy you'll get to ride in a C-135 - probably the closest thing to a flying 707 that most of us will ever see again.

I use to fly 707's all the time from Washington D.C. to Phoenix. when I was a small child. Now that I look back on them I realize they were great planes. However at that time I was not thrilled with them. Simply becuase we flew to Arizonia a lot and up untill the 757 and 767 came along, all we flew on was the 707, so I was bored with them. Plus, American Airlines (the airline we flew on) had no IFE on those 4 hour flights, and when you are 7 or 8, those flights can be very very long and boring.

"There's still a way to do it, but you're going to have to want to do it very badly. If you join the USAF Reserves and get a job as a refueling guy you'll get to ride in a C-135 - probably the closest thing to a flying 707 that most of us will ever see again."

Well the 135 is smaller than the 707. You can come join us in AWACS, I fly the 707 airframe about twice a week And the E-3s (and some E-6s) are the newest '707-320s' around. We even have the TF33s.

On a more serious note:
The USAF is still buying surplus 707s from South America, etc for more conversions into (1 more) E-8s and (2 more) TC-18s-plus spares. So it is getting harder for civilians to find Pax (and even cargo) 707s.

In the case of the E-6, the planes use CFM hi-bypass turbofans rather then the TF-33s, so it is a little different. E-8 JSTARS would be a little closer since they use the older TF-33s and don't have a big radome topside. Only problem with bumming a ride on a KC-135 is that the cargo hold isn't very well insulated, so it can get dang COLD at altitude (according to one guy I know who did manage to bum a ride on one). Also, there aren't many windows and the military sets up their passenger seats facing to the rear rather then foreword. Still, I could think of more frivolous reasons to join the USAF or the reserves. I suppose getting chummy with a congressman who flies on Andrews AFB based VC-137s a lot would also be a long shot, unless you had a big pocketbook or a good golf game.